


A Ghost Among The Stars

by LadyBee



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Implied Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-05
Updated: 2014-09-05
Packaged: 2018-02-16 06:44:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2259828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyBee/pseuds/LadyBee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He took one last look to the space. They've been to space together, but never had the chance to enjoy it properly. The last time it had been quite a messy affair and she would have little or no motive to welcome him as she used to do every time he came up with a bad idea. Even though his perspectives of success were nearly nonexistent, the only thing he wouldn't give up was hope.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Ghost Among The Stars

When you’ve only known war, to find peace is terrifying. There was truth in such words, but also a lack of accuracy. Even peace to him was a particular kind of conflict, one without weapons and armies, but a battle no less frightening. His eyes scanned the endless space ahead of him. He was tired of the lack of action and abundance of silence. He missed a bit of company if nothing else.

It had been far too long since he last stepped a foot on Earth and Christmas time wasn’t helping with his unspoken nostalgia. Maybe he should pay a visit to a special someone. She had always been the only one to welcome a troublesome person like him and ghosts had never bothered Lucrezia Noin anyway.

In a matter of minutes he would reach atmosphere. To trespass the security at the immigration would be the tricky part, but surely his fake passport and ID would work. He was a no one with an astonishing resemblance to a dead man.

He took one last look to the space. They’ve been to space together, but never had the chance to enjoy it properly. There were always orders to be followed, missions to fulfill, battles to fight…The last time it had been quite a messy affair and she would have little or no motive to welcome him as she used to do every time he came up with a bad idea. Even though his perspectives of success were nearly nonexistent, the only thing he wouldn’t give up was hope.

That morning sky gave me a look  
So I left while you were sleeping  
That's all it took  
And I chalked a line south down the coast  
Going where my thirst was open  
For the things that I don't know  
Going where I wasn't paying  
For the hurt that I owe

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

It had been quite a day at the head quarter. Truth be told, she was getting tired of recruits, flight training and all the paperwork that followed. Routine was killing her and Une’s mood wasn’t helping a single bit.

Noin could understand Une’s motives. Hell knows she could understand it better than anyone, but she wasn’t Buda to take the pressure without going mental. She needed a rest and maybe some time to herself. Vacations sounded like a good idea if only she could find a place where she wouldn’t feel lonely. Maybe Sanc was a good choice. Helena surely would welcome her, but Noin rather not be faced with so many memories of Zechs everywhere.

She would rather not be faced with any memories at all, especially in Christmas. She could imagine how hard it was being for Une too. Christmas holds no joy for those who have lost their loved ones and after war there was little joy to nearly everyone they knew.

The wind was brisk cold and snow was falling peacefully in her way back home. Couples holding hands everywhere and children making a fuss in toy’s shop. It couldn’t get any more depressing. She would never be able to hold hands with him, or kiss him or touch him again. Zechs was still a reality to her and she seemed to be refusing to accept that he would never come back. He was never hers to take or claim, but still…After so many years of unshaken loyalty his death was simply unacceptable.

Zechs was dead; despite her refusing in accept the fact. There would be no hot meal or gifts waiting for her in her tiny apartment, nor company of any kind. Maybe she could find some consolation with a bottle of wine and pasta before retiring for the night. What a merry little Christmas.

When she got to the building, the hall was empty except for the doorman who greeted her with a nod. Noin took the elevator, already dreaming about her cozy apartment and warm bed, but it was when she reached her apartments door she realized that something was wrong.

Her hand went to her gun immediately getting ready to shoot at any sign of danger. If it was a burglar she would feel sorry for his poor choice of a victim. A former OZ lieutenant, imperial guard and pilot instructor…Even though she was a woman living alone, she was no easy prey for any kind of criminal.

Carefully she opened the door.

The place was as quiet as a chapel and unmolested; if it wasn’t for the tall slender figure waiting by the window. She turned the light on and put the gun down. Even in the dark, recognizing him wasn’t that difficult. She was officially insane. Either that or ghost of Christmas Past was in town.

“You better be a ghost.” She broke the silence, making him turn to face her. He wasn’t smiling, but there was something pleasant in the way his lips were curved.

She wanted to cry, she wanted to shout, she wanted to beat the hell out of him and still kiss him senseless. Her hands were shaking and it provided her unexpected guest with the perfect excuse to get close to her. Zechs walked toward her carefully. His hand slipped over her arm until his fingers reached the gun. Noin never presented any kind of resistance, allowing him to take her gun away while she tried to convince herself that he wasn’t a hallucination.

“Why is that?” He asked elegantly. She looked up to face him properly. She nearly forgot how tall he was. His warm breath against the skin of her face sent shivers all over her spine. God! She had missed that sensation.

“If you are, I can’t kill you again. If you are not, I may turn you into one.” Her answer was much softer than she expected. “What the hell are you doing here?” Breathing, heart beating, hands touching…He was too real for her to resist, and to phantasmagoric for her to believe. She was still trying to get used to his death and that was simply a cruel joke.

“Thought you would be happy to see me, but maybe that was just me being hopeful.” He answered with a shy smile. Her heart skipped a bit in answer. “I’m sorry.” His voice was barely a whisper.

“You should be.” She closed her eyes before the illusion could vanish. “What were you thinking? You are dead. I was there. I saw the battle and the explosion. You can’t be real and even if you are, that gives you no right to come here and act as if I owned you anything!”

One half-moon sleeping by the creeks  
And a woman put me under  
Her barn roof for a week  
I knew her voice before she spake  
I saw a grave dug by a preacher  
Just to see what it would make

 

His face turned into a melancholic expression. She opened her eyes and the gallant soldier she once knew had turned into someone else, no less familiar to her. No resolute chivalry and military stubbornness. He was the lost prince, the young boy who lost his family and home to an abominable war.

He couldn’t blame her for the lack of sympathy and warmth. Noin had always been understanding and loyal to him, even though they had frequent ideological divergences in the past. Truth be told, he had abused of her kindness and good will, but it made her bitterness and anger no less painful to him.

“I couldn’t tell you. It was too risky.” Not that he expected her to buy such a lame excuse, but it was the truth. Maybe with a bit of luck, Noin would accept his answer, or even try to see his reasons.

“I don’t fucking care if it was too risky. I’ve been putting my life in danger to save your ass since Lake Victoria’s Academy! I don’t fucking need a prince in shining armor to save me or protect me!” She finally lost her temper. Her hand stroked his face like a whip.

Neither of them could ever imagine that things between them would come to such a point. They remained in silence for a long minute.

“I assumed the risk when I came here.” His voice finally broke the silence. Once more she was facing the formidable military officer, the perfect soldier. “I wanted to protect you, Lucrezia. For everything you’ve done for me, for everything we went thru…I owned you that much.”

“I’ve never asked for this, Miliardo.” She answered sharply. “I understood, or at least tried to understand your ideals and reasons. I’ve never asked about your past, or questioned your decisions in regard to your birthrights. It was your life and yours alone. I helped whenever I could. I heard you whenever you talked to me about your doubts and conflicts. I followed you when there were no option other than kill you.”

She turned her back at him while passing her hand thru her short hair. That was something foreigner to both of them. He was used to screw things over and over, but more than this he was used to have her comprehension. Noin was right about it. He had no right, even though his intentions were good ones.

She took a deep breath before turning to face him again. She was beautiful, like she had always been. A bit masculine about her looks, but it suited her well specially because of her military position. He had missed her more than he could say or understand. Lake Victoria had prepared him to be a fighter, but when it came to eloquence Zechs was pretty much hopeless.

“The only thing you owned me was the truth. I didn’t deserve to mourn a man that was alive.” Her voice was sharp like a blade. Zechs closed his eyes.

“I’m really sorry.”

“Does Relena know?” She finally asked.

“No. She never needed her careless brother for anything and I doubt that she needs me now. She is better without knowing about me.” He said calmly while sitting on the sofa without asking for permission. Old habits die hard.

“Again… I don’t fucking care if she is better with your lie. She is your sister and she has the right to know that her brother is alive.” Noin sounded very much like a mother lecturing her child. “You’ve already threw all your responsibilities as heir to the throne over her shoulder. The girl has nearly no family and I’m sure she would appreciate having her big brother near.”

“I’m more of a curse than a source of help to her. She’s doing well. She’s far more talented to peace matters than I ever was.” He answered with a hint of melancholy. “I was never a good brother, as I was never a good son to my father’s legacy. I did what I could, though. I tried to protect her, to give her the royal authority because I knew she was far more prepared to the task than I was. You are far more meaningful to her than I.”

“Only because you’ve asked me to act in your behalf. I protected Relena because you asked me to. Friendship was a consequence, but it doesn’t mean that she doesn’t care about you at all.” Noin replied immediately while sitting by his side. “Stop being such a baby. I’m tired of smothering you, and it’s about time for you to get over your traumas to start doing what is right.”

“You are truly mad at me, aren’t you?” He asked with a smirk and received a punch in his arm.

“What the hell did you expect?!” She answered in a disapproving tone.

“I don’t know what I expected.” His answer sounded sincere. “I just wanted to see you, even if it was from afar. Lucky me your doorman was out for a break and I managed to sneak in. You should stop keeping your spare key under your doormat.” She laughed lightly.

“Lucky you that I recognized you before I could shoot. You would be dead by now.”

“No, I wouldn’t. I would be injured, no doubt; but you hate the killing.” Even though his face was as sober as ever, the mockery was there, no less efficient. She made a face in answer.

“Never underestimate an angry woman.”

They remained in silence for long seconds, not knowing what else to say or do. For a moment, Zechs thought about his reasons to come to Earth and visit her. At the time it sounded as a good idea, but now he wasn’t so sure about it. Noin wasn’t reacting as he expected, but again he wasn’t sure about what he had expected in the first place.

She wasn’t fond of public displays of affection, that much he knew. He even admitted that Noin had all the reasons to be furious with him, but it made her cold behavior no less difficult to accept. He wanted a bit of warmth and lighthearted talk. Maybe he was being too much hopeful and naïve; considering that he wanted his long term intimate friend to act as if nothing had happened.

“Why did you come back?” Noin broke the silence between them. That was somehow expected, but what should he say? That he had missed her more than he should, or that the outer space reminded him of her eyes and passion? Both of the alternatives were true, but Zechs wasn’t prepared for such an open declaration.

“I didn’t want to be alone in Christmas, and I figured that you would be alone as well.” He answered while she got closer to him to rest her head against his shoulders. Zechs embraced her with one arm, making Noin more comfortable.

“You used to be a better liar.” She mocked him. “It won’t hurt if you admit that you’ve missed me terribly, because there’s no one like me in the universe.” Her voice was much more warmth and welcoming than before. He smiled.

“That much is true. There’s no one like you.” He answered. “I was hoping to find you lonely and longing for me. Your constant loyalty spoiled me to no end and I’ve became too self-assured of my importance in your life.”

“I could be with someone else by now. I could do whatever I pleased and you would have no right to be angry about it.” Her answer was bitter, despite her best efforts to conceal it. He tried to not feel confident about her feelings for him, but it was quite hard.

He looked at her trying to read her facial expression. Her eyes were just like remembered. Full of hope and expectation while still waiting for him to make up his mind and give the next step. Noin had decided long ago that she had done everything in her power to have his affection. It was his turn to fight for what he wanted.

He lowered his face while his free hand touched her chin, making Noin look at him. He had no right…He gave up his chance long ago. He had never treasure her as she deserved to be treasured…Even though, he missed her too much to say and had fantasized about that moment far too much to go back to space without trying.

They were so close that Zechs could smell the faint hint of mint in her breath. They were in that very moment when every reasonable thought no longer matters, where reason and caution are thrown away…The only thing that matters is the unexplainable hunger, the uncontrolled expectation, the need for intimacy. He waited for her lips to touch his. He closed the distance between then, he could almost taste her in the inch between them, but the kiss never came.

Her hand stopped him and Zechs knew better than to push her further. She wasn’t interested, or she wasn’t completely satisfied with his pale excuses. Noin refused him and Zechs realized how much he had hurt her. He was no king. He was no commander. He was no hero. He was just a ghost and Noin was very much alive to do whatever she wanted with her life. There was a time he was absolutely secured that Noin would never turn her back at him. It wouldn’t be the first time that he was wrong.

It wouldn’t be the first time that they would share some intimacy. It was something they used to do whenever war weighted on their shoulders. It was a kind of ritual they had since Lake Victoria, but never allowed it to grow to the next level. It was sex, need, lust, friendship and trust, and nothing else.

She walked away and Zechs followed her steps to the kitchen. Noin was trying to ignore him while she looked for some glasses and a bottle of wine. He tried to ignore how her body moved, and how he wanted to hug her tight and never let her go. Zechs wondered how long it had been since that feeling took root inside of him, to the point of making him think about how life would have been easier if he had simply stayed by her side.

“Are you dating someone?” He finally broke the silence between them. It would hardly be a surprise. Noin was young, beautiful, and owned him no kind of fidelity.

“Do you see anyone else here?” She answered harshly while pouring them some wine. “I wouldn’t be alone in Christmas Eve if I were dating someone. It doesn’t mean that I’m going to jump in to your arms easily like that.” She gave him a glass before drink half of her own in a single gulp.

Zechs took a sip of his glass while observing Noin distressed behavior. She was nervous, that was plain enough. She was also torn between her most tender feelings and the anger toward his lie.

“I didn’t mean any disrespect. I just…” He put his glass aside. “I’ve missed you, Lucrezia. I know that I’m not in position to expect any kind sympathy from you, but you can’t blame me for trying.”

“I can blame you for never trying before.” Her answer came faster than he expected and her face transpired every reason she had to hate him. Noin was tired, he realized. Tired of expecting him to become a better man; tired of expecting him to take control over his life and what he wanted. She wouldn’t wait forever; in fact Zechs was quite sure that she wasn’t waiting for him anymore. “I’m getting exhausted, Zechs. I don’t know how much longer I can take. Everything is a priority in your life except me. Your military career, your kingdom, your inheritance, your need to disappear…I’m never part of your plans. You only come to me when it is convenient. When you are feeling lonely, or just want sex. It was fine for me when we were recruits at the Academy, and even when we join OZ, but now…After what you did I’m afraid that I will never be part of your plan. I’m not important enough.”

So hold high have faith your reasons  
(Or you'll never get on)  
Don't you forget you come from nothing  
(Or you'll never get on)  
That wind is calling my name  
I won’t wait or I'll never get on

 

And that was like fire kissing gunpowder and consuming his judgment in an uncontrollable explosion. The glass in her hand felt to the floor, cracking in a million sharp pieces. His hands pressed her against the kitchen wall and his mouth clashed against Noin’s lips in a disastrous kiss.

Despite of her surprise, Noin showed no resistance, parting her lips to welcome his tongue in her mouth. His hand held her by her nape bringing Noin closer and making the kiss much more intimate. They had rehearsed that scene about a thousand times. Once they had been teenagers, full of dreams, hopes, desire and hormones; they had flirted with the possibility of something other than respectful friendship, but they were both committed to military service and duty to give in to romance.

“You are important enough.” He groaned against her lips.

Zechs had struggles against his feelings for her long enough to know the taste of his regret. He had seen her come and go countless times; he had come and gone just as much. They were like the sea waves and the stones along the coast, they were like peace and war trying to get along in an universe not big enough to contain such powerful forces.

They were adults now. He was dead and she was lonely. It was Christmas Eve and Earth was living a brief and instable moment of peace. There were no battles to be fought, no enemies to be killed, and no orders to be followed. There was just silence to be fulfilled with sounds of lovemaking and two beating hearts that longed for each other long enough.

In the urge for release and pleasure he thorn the buttons of her uniform’s coach, throwing the piece away. His mouth felt to her neck line to kiss her skin while he drowned in her familiar perfume; it was the one he gifted her in her last birthday. Noin wasted no time with his closes. Zechs barely noticed when she got rid of his coach and shirt, as she barely noticed when her breasts got exposed and both of them were half naked in her kitchen.

He unbuttoned her trousers and slipped a hand under her underwear to touch her intimately. That was kind of nostalgic somehow, like if they were teenagers again. His fingers reached her moisture folds, making Noin throw her head back while biting her inferior lip. The sounds she made were familiar and welcome to his ears. He had missed them and how her body responded to his own.

Zechs bite her neck. Surely there would be a lot of embarrassing marks to be concealed in the morning but neither of them was really caring about it. His fingers sank in her wetness, making sinuous movements while he rubbed her clit with his thumb. Noin clanged to him tightly, trying to get some stability while her body started to shake.

She rested her head against his shoulder while trying to recover her breath. His free hand caressing her nape, finger curling her hair tenderly. How long has it been since they last had a moment for them, without a war to be fought or orders to be fulfilled? Truly he couldn’t remember of a single day that their lives weren’t dictated by the war’s advances. She was always exhausted of holding to her believes while he was always divided between the man he was and the man her should be. Sex wasn’t meant to be intimate and meaningful back then. It was just a brief moment to forget what was going on around them, like the effect of a powerful drug.

He grabbed her by waist with his arms lifting her from the floor and Noin’s legs enlaced his midsection almost instinctively. Zechs kissed her mouth fiercely, for the first time since ever he kissed her and her alone. She was his priority, his only coherent thought. To the hell with wars, orders and mobile suits. Damn all the Gundams, his sister, and Treize’s ghost. He had nothing else to lose but that woman in his arms and he would fight for her until the end.

Zechs had no idea of where he was carrying her to, but since the apartment was indeed a small one, he guessed rightly that the next door was her room. He laid her on her bed with much less kindness that the original intention, but Noin didn’t seem to care an iota about it.

“Put your hair down.” She commanded. Oh, there she was. He had missed that game they shared. Out of the bedroom he had the highest rank and gave all the orders, but not within those walls.

“As you wish, madam.” He said with a smirk before losing his long silvery hair. Zechs turned the light on and took a moment to admire her half naked body. She looked annoyed at him.

“Turn them off.” She said.

“Not to day, madam. I wanna look at you and you alone.” He answered in a low husky tone.

He walked back to her while unbuttoning his trousers and getting free from his last piece of clothing. Her eyes roamed all over his body with sheer lust. Zechs kneeled between her parted legs and freed her from her pants and underwear in a single movement.

His hands caressed her legs and thighs for a while, making her impatient. He kissed her belly and smirked at her while tracing a path of wet kisses down to her womanhood. Noin threw her head back at the moment she felt his lips and tongue working on her. Her back arched and her toes curled while he could feel her getting close to the edge.

He felt Noin’s hand on his scalp, pulling his hair and keeping him in place. He liked that sensation of knowing he was making her feel good and her small displays of power and command never ceased to amuse him. She came violently calling his name out of pleasure. The sounds she made sounded just like music to him.

Her eyes were closed and her breath uneven when he climbed on the bed. She had a serene aura, he noticed. She has always had and perhaps that was what he treasured the most about Lucrezia. She gave him peace when he was in constant war with himself.

“Are you going to look at me all night?” She asked breathless, making him crack a smile.

“Not really.” His answer can shortly after a kiss.

Lucrezia rolled over him, sitting on his abdomen at first. What a view it was, to have her naked on top of him like some kind of goddess. His hands caressed her body fervently, resting on her ass and legs while she guided him to her entrance. She never looked away from him, not even when she felt entirely fulfilled. Her breath stopped for a second before Noin could start moving.

It was an endless dance what they shared. Something animalistic and passionate, very much like the war they used to fight. She demanded strength and attention from him, just like he claimed every fiber of passionate devotion from her. That was what their story was all about in the end.

At some they shift positions, when Noin’s legs where too tired to impose a rhythm that felt right. Zechs pinned her down to the mattress taking control over the rhythm. Every movement sent him closer to the edge while Noin was already tightening around him. She came again and her face was taken by an expression of pleasure and surrender. He couldn’t last much after that.

Neither of them could sleep for a while. They remained silent in the room, looking the snow falling slowly thru the window. Her back was turned on him, and somehow it felt terribly wrong, as if Noin had used him. Surely he couldn’t blame her for paying him back in such a way, he had probably done worst to her.

He could get used to that, Zechs finally realized. A peaceful life, even though his conscience would never be totally at ease. He could change his name one last time and summon the courage to make her all the promised that Noin have waited for so patiently. He owned her that much.

It's not hard to live like a ghost  
I just haunt all that I've wanted  
And leave what I don't  
I dreamt a trail up to the sky  
And my brothers built propellers  
Just to see how far they’d fly

 

“How long will you stay this time?” She finally broke the silence with that question. Zechs sighted. How long indeed?

“I wish that I could say forever, but that cannot be. Earth is not my place now, and you are still needed here.” His voice was sober.

“I won’t wait for you, Zechs. Not anymore.” He deserved those words and he knew it, but nothing would ever prepare him for her rejection. “If you are going to be a ghost, then I better start to remember that I’m alive.”

He stood silent for a few seconds, letting those words take root inside of him. What have he expected anyway? Noin was young, beautiful and she was free to do what she wanted. Perhaps that was the point. She was free and he had never been.

“I’ve never made love to you while we were on a space mission, have I?” He asked absently while looking to the roof, trying to fight the urge to make promises he would never be able to fulfill.

“Not that I remember.” She said calmly.

“I should have. I should have done several things differently when it comes to you.” That was that? Was this the end? He wondered for a few seconds if he would ever be able to say goodbye to her and mean it. After all, he has always ended up at her door steps, waiting for her to receive him with open arms. He had no home, no country, no place to go back to except for her. “I can’t hold you forever, can I? It wouldn’t be fair to you, but I couldn’t care less about what is fair. I want to be the spoiled prince, the ruthless tyrant and keep you just like this, naked and where I can reach you.”

“Surely you’ve spent too much time with Treize to your own good and look where he ended.” Noin answered while looking thru the window. “I’m no Une to serve you blindly, to become whatever you need. I accepted being in your shadow for far too long, but you are not the sun. You are just a man.”

She rose from the bed and walked naked all over the room. She stopped by the window and observed all the Christmas’ Lights decorating the streets covered in snow. Everybody seemed to be hiding at home, sharing a drink or a meal while exchanging gifts. The world was too busy dealing with peace and celebrations to ever pay attention to a woman with no modesty standing by a window in a cold night. Nor did they cared about a broken heart and a painful almost love story.

Noin took a deep breath feeling her heart heavy and bruised. She barely acknowledged the fact that she was crying silently. How difficult it could be to let someone go, maybe to never come back. She wondered if she could try one more time, give up her pride once more for him, but she couldn’t. It had been far too long and she deserved to fill complete, satisfied with her lot in life, to let her ambitions take the best of him. And maybe…Maybe she would be able to look back and feel that she had made something of her life instead of building a life around a man.

Noin never noticed that he walked her way, just to hold her gently. He never knew how to say the right thing to her, he never understood the tricks of a woman’s heart. Perhaps she was to blame for that. He had always seen her like an equal, someone as hard as him and never really realized that she was still a woman and her fragilities where very particular ones.

“It had always been my fault and if I never see you again I’ll have no one to blame but myself. Still…This time I want to do something right.” He kissed her neck fondly. “You are free to do whatever you want with your life and I’ll be happy for you. Go ahead, be the hero you were meant to be and give to the world your beloved peace.” His voice was low and uneven. “But know this…If you find yourself lonely, look up to the sky. Somewhere among the stars I’ll be watching and waiting for you.”

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

He left her sleeping peacefully, but not without a great deal of determination. If anything he wanted to stay, to give her everything she deserved for her faithful loyalty, for her ever hoping heart. Tell her how much he loved everything about her, but that would be too selfish of him.

Back to the space, where he could see the colonies from a safe distance and also keep his eyes on Earth, Zechs allowed himself to indulge several of his regrets. He looked at the blue surface of Earth and for the first time took the time to walk in Noin’s shoes. He closed his eyes to not see the teardrops floating around him.

It was his turn to have faith. His turn to wait.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x  
It had been a year since that dreadful day and although she had never been really fond of Une during the OZ time, Noin had to admit that she could sympathize with her now. After all they both had a life of military service and dedication to a man that probably wasn’t worthy of half of their sacrifices.

At least Zechs had his moments of reason, while Treize kept his megalomaniacal fantasy all along. His ambition nearly killed Une and cause her so much damage that she had to submit to a rigorous treatment in order to recover her full mental sanity. Still…Noin was pretty sure that although her colleague was recovered in a mental level, her heart would never be the same.

Une looked sadly at the name carved in the marble board after landing the bouquet on the grave. It had already been a year and both peace and Treize’s death seemed to be a kind of dreamy state, too uncertain to rely on. Perhaps she had become a pessimist, but Noin couldn’t believe that she would die in a world that war was just a vague memory, or even reduced to a mythological condition. There would be another war and she would fight it, but at least for a while she would allow herself to enjoy that peaceful interlude.

“Why do you never bring flowers to his grave?” Une asked finally. She knew it was something that made her friend uncomfortable, to see Zechs’ grave empty of any adornment or sign that he was a well-loved man. Noin closed her eyes for a moment and she thought about the space above, about stars and a sole spacecraft carrying a man just as lonely.

“Because I refuse to believe him dead.” Noin answered, remembering of his last promise. It would be her choice to stay on Earth and be an agent of peace, or simply leave all behind to pursue another life and for the first time to have that man without reservations. “I’m sure he is out there somehow…Just waiting for another fire to rise to get out a monotonous state.”

So hold high have faith your reasons  
(Or you'll never get on)  
Your flashing sparrows chasing with them  
Don't you forget you come from nothing  
(Or you'll never get on)  
That wind is calling my name

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: It’s my first fanfiction in this fandom and I don’t know why I’ve never wrote one before. Gundam Wing had always been one of my favorite animes mostly because of its female characters, especially Lady Une and Noin. This one takes place between the events in Gundam Wing and Gundam Wing Endless Waltz. I liked to play with the idea that during the years that Zechs was believed to be dead, Noin knew the truth just because he owned that much and that stay behind was somehow her choice, at least for a while. I hope you enjoy it and leave me some reviews. The lyric in this is Half-Moon, by Blind Pilot.  
> Bee


End file.
